Spanish Commands (Los Mandatos)

Commands (or imperatives) are used to tell someone what to do or what not to do.
They’re essential for giving directions, advice, or instructions — whether in the classroom, at home, or in real-world interactions.

1) Types of Commands

There are several command forms, depending on who you’re speaking to:

Command Type	Used With	English Equivalent
Tú affirmative	informal “you”	Do something
Tú negative	informal “you”	Don’t do something
Usted / Ustedes	formal you / plural you	Do (formal)
Nosotros	“let’s” commands	Let’s do something

2) Affirmative Tú Commands (Informal)

To tell a friend, classmate, or child to do something, use the tú affirmative form.

Formation

Use the third-person singular (él/ella/Ud.) form of the present tense.

Infinitive	Present (él/ella/Ud.)	Command
hablar	habla	¡Habla! (Speak!)
comer	come	¡Come! (Eat!)
escribir	escribe	¡Escribe! (Write!)

Examples:

• ¡Camina más rápido! → Walk faster!
  
• ¡Come tus verduras! → Eat your vegetables!
  
• ¡Estudia para el examen! → Study for the exam!
  

3) Irregular Affirmative Tú Commands

Some tú commands are irregular — many are short, common verbs.

Infinitive	Command	English
decir	di	say, tell
hacer	haz	do, make
ir	ve	go
poner	pon	put
salir	sal	leave, go out
ser	sé	be
tener	ten	have
venir	ven	come

Mnemonic to remember them:
Ven Di Sal Haz Ten Ve Pon Sé

Examples:

• ¡Haz tu tarea! → Do your homework.
  
• ¡Pon la mesa! → Set the table.
  
• ¡Ven aquí! → Come here.
  
• ¡Sé amable! → Be kind.
  

4) Negative Tú Commands

To tell someone not to do something, use the negative tú form.

Formation

1 Start with the yo form of the present tense.
2️Drop the -o ending.
3️Add the opposite ending:

• -AR → -es
  
• -ER / -IR → -as
  

Infinitive	Yo Form	Negative Command
hablar	hablo	no hables
comer	como	no comas
escribir	escribo	no escribas

Examples:

• ¡No hables! → Don’t talk!
  
• ¡No comas eso! → Don’t eat that!
  
• ¡No escribas en la mesa! → Don’t write on the table!
  

Irregular Negative Tú Commands

Use the yo form + opposite ending rule, but watch for stem changes and spelling changes.

Infinitive	Irregular Yo Form	Command	English
decir	digo	no digas	don’t say
hacer	hago	no hagas	don’t do
ir	voy	no vayas	don’t go
poner	pongo	no pongas	don’t put
salir	salgo	no salgas	don’t leave
tener	tengo	no tengas	don’t have
venir	vengo	no vengas	don’t come
ser	soy	no seas	don’t be
dar	doy	no des	don’t give
estar	estoy	no estés	don’t be
saber	sé	no sepas	don’t know

5) Usted and Ustedes Commands (Formal)

Used to speak formally to one or more people (strangers, elders, superiors, clients).

Formation

1️Take the yo form of the present tense.
2️Drop the -o.
3️Add opposite endings:

Verb Type	Usted	Ustedes
-AR	-e	-en
-ER / -IR	-a	-an

Infinitive	Yo Form	Ud. Command	Uds. Command
hablar	hablo	hable	hablen
comer	como	coma	coman
escribir	escribo	escriba	escriban

Examples:

• ¡Hable más despacio! → Speak more slowly!
  
• ¡Coma bien! → Eat well!
  
• ¡Escriban sus nombres! → Write your names!
  

Irregular Formal Commands

Infinitive	Yo Form	Ud.	Uds.	English
dar	doy	dé	den	give
estar	estoy	esté	estén	be
ir	voy	vaya	vayan	go
saber	sé	sepa	sepan	know
ser	soy	sea	sean	be

Examples:

• ¡Sea puntual! → Be punctual.
  
• ¡Vayan al hospital! → Go to the hospital.
  
• ¡Esté tranquilo! → Be calm.
  

6) Nosotros Commands (Let’s…)

Used to suggest that we do something together.

Formation

Use the first-person plural of the subjunctive:
1️Start with the yo form of the verb.
2️Drop the -o.
3️Add opposite ending:

• -AR → -emos
  
• -ER / -IR → -amos
  

Verb	Command	English
hablar	hablemos	Let’s talk
comer	comamos	Let’s eat
escribir	escribamos	Let’s write

Examples:

• ¡Hablemos en español! → Let’s speak in Spanish!
  
• ¡Comamos juntos! → Let’s eat together!
  
• ¡Vayamos al cine! → Let’s go to the movies!
  

Irse and irse reflexive forms often use the shortened vamos instead of vayamos in everyday speech:

• ¡Vamos! → Let’s go!
  
• ¡No nos vayamos! → Let’s not leave!
  

7) Placement of Pronouns with Commands

A. Affirmative Commands

Attach pronouns to the end of the verb.

Example	Translation
¡Levántate!	Get up!
¡Dímelo!	Tell it to me!
¡Háganlo!	Do it!
¡Escríbanos!	Write to us!

Accent Rule:
Add an accent mark to maintain stress (usually on the third syllable from the end).
→ dímelo, háganlo, levántate

B. Negative Commands

Place the pronoun before the verb.

Example	Translation
¡No te levantes!	Don’t get up!
¡No me digas!	Don’t tell me!
¡No lo hagan!	Don’t do it!
¡No nos escriban!	Don’t write to us!

8) Reflexive Verbs with Commands

Type	Rule	Example
Affirmative	Attach pronoun to end	¡Siéntate! (Sit down!)
Negative	Place pronoun before	¡No te sientes! (Don’t sit down!)
Nosotros	Drop final “s” before nos	Levantémonos. (Let’s get up.) / No nos levantemos.

9) Spelling Changes in Commands

To preserve pronunciation, certain verbs change spelling:

Ending	Change	Example	Command
-car	c → qu	buscar → busque
-gar	g → gu	llegar → llegue
-zar	z → c	empezar → empiece

Examples:

• ¡Busque el libro! → Look for the book.
  
• ¡Lleguen temprano! → Arrive early.
  
• ¡Empiece la tarea! → Start the homework.
  

10) Practice: Fill in the Blanks

Complete with the correct command form.

1. (tú) __________ (venir) aquí.
   
2. (tú) no __________ (decir) mentiras.
   
3. (Ud.) __________ (abrir) la ventana.
   
4. (Uds.) __________ (comer) más frutas.
   
5. (nosotros) __________ (estudiar) para el examen.
   
6. (tú) __________ (hacer) la cama.
   
7. (tú) no __________ (ir) al parque solo.
   
8. (Ud.) __________ (tener) paciencia.
   

Answers:

1. ven
   
2. digas
   
3. abra
   
4. coman
   
5. estudiemos
   
6. haz
   
7. vayas
   
8. tenga
   

11) Common Pitfalls & Fixes

Wrong	Correct	Explanation
Hablas despacio.	¡Habla despacio!	Drop the “s” in tú command.
No hablas.	¡No hables!	Use opposite ending.
Levantate.	¡Levántate!	Add accent.
Dime lo.	¡Dímelo!	Attach both pronouns + accent.
No háganlo.	¡No lo hagan!	Pronouns before negative command.

12) Summary Chart

Command Type	How to Form	Example	Translation
Tú (affirmative)	3rd person present	Habla.	Speak.
Tú (negative)	Yo → drop “o” → opposite ending	No hables.	Don’t speak.
Usted	Yo → drop “o” → opposite ending	Hable.	(You formal) speak.
Ustedes	Yo → drop “o” → opposite + -n	Hablen.	(You all) speak.
Nosotros	Yo → drop “o” → opposite + -mos	Hablemos.	Let’s speak.

13) Mini Dialogue Practice

A: ¿Pongo la mesa ahora?
B: Sí, ¡ponla por favor!

A: ¿Te ayudo con la comida?
B: No, ¡no la prepares todavía!

A: Entonces, ¿qué hago?
B: ¡Siéntate y relájate!

Why Commands Matter

Commands are essential for:

• Daily routines and instructions (Lávate las manos.)
  
• Classroom communication (Escribe, escucha, repite.)
  
• Recipes and directions (Corta las verduras, mezcla los ingredientes.)
  
• Polite requests and teamwork (Hablemos con respeto.)
  

They’re one of the most practical and frequently used structures in conversational Spanish.

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